My Department uses a specially designed stopped restraint in its wildlife programme. The "stop" on the loop prevents tightening and there is also a "runner" on the loop which prevents loosening and subsequent escape of the restrained badger. The devices are checked every morning while they are in place and if a badger is caught, it is dispatched humanely by shooting. All badgers receive a full post mortem examination in our veterinary laboratories and carcases are checked for damage from these devices. To date there are no reports to give rise to concern about their use. My Department is conscious of the welfare aspect and alternative methods of capture, including cages and leg cuffs, have been examined but not adopted as no welfare advantage has been found with any of these methods.
The badger is a protected species under the Wildlife Act, 1976, and is removed for research purposes under licence issued by the Department of Arts, Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The involvement of wildlife in the epidemiological investigation of bovine TB must be ascertained to determine policy in dealing with the outbreak. My Department is currently committed to developing a vaccine for badgers and research into this has already begun.
The following table shows the cost involved in catching badgers for research purposes.
